


early arrival

by ihaveaplan



Category: The Folk of the Air - Holly Black
Genre: Angst, Birth, Birth complications, F/M, Premature Labor, Second Child, labor, sad but gets better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:55:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25619974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ihaveaplan/pseuds/ihaveaplan
Summary: Jude and Cardan's second child arrives prematurely, leading to difficult birth and uncertain future. They wait through the day with their newborn to see if she'll survive. Sad, but it gets better.
Relationships: Jude Duarte/Cardan Greenbriar
Comments: 3
Kudos: 98





	early arrival

“She’s… so small.” 

“I know.”

“Is she going to be okay?”

“I… don’t know.”

These were the uneasy words the High King and Queen of Elfhame exchanged while looking down on their newborn. Of course, infants were small. They were well aware of that fact, since this tiny creature sleeping all-too-quietly was not their firstborn. Rhode Greenbriar, their now two-year-old son and princeling, had been a small baby as well, but he had been full-term. This baby had arrived suddenly as the couple was in bed, three months prematurely. She had been born quickly, cried weakly, and fallen asleep too fast. When she had been handed to her expectant parents, she was so small that she fit entirely in the crook of her mother’s arm. Both parents had wept at the sight of her, a mix of joy that she had been born alive, and fear that she wouldn’t survive long. The royal surgeon had come and inspected the delicate little princess, and his prognosis was far from reassuring. “It’s a waiting game. If she survives the day… she may live.” 

The midwives and doctors had cleared the royal chambers in order to give the couple space with their child, but they waited diligently, unable to sleep, outside the chamber doors, in case something happened in the day. Twilight creatures, they should have been asleep. Jude, especially, was exhausted from the birth, but couldn’t bring herself to sleep. No, her daughter- her tiny, fragile daughter- needed her. And so, delirious with exhaustion and the medicinal tea she had been given for the pain, she held the babe in her arms and leaned back against her husband, who cradled her in turn with his body. Tears had been flowing for so long now that neither to great notice as the hot droplets fell from Jude’s face onto Cardan’s arms, firm as they supported her hold of their child. 

“What do we name her?” Cardan asked of his wife, hushed, though it was only the three of them in the room. 

Jude gave a choked laugh. “I didn’t make my list, yet. I had thought… we’d have more time.” 

He only pulled her closer in response, eliciting a shudder from her as she forced back a sob. “What if she’s cold?” Jude whispered. “What if she’s scared?” She shook her head, and twisted to hand Cardan their child. He accepted her, immediately holding her to his chest. She was a beautiful little thing, just as Rhode had been. She had a thick tuft of dark hair on her head, flecked with golden brown strands that caught the light. She was pale like her father, but with a tired look about her, as though she had been bored exhausted. Her nose was all Jude’s, sloping and adorable, remarkably human, while her pointed ears said otherwise. He ran a finger across her cheek, and she stirred slightly, turning her face into his touch. Her cheek was clammy, his finger was warm.

“Jude.” he said urgently.

Jude had been in the process of removing her bloodied nightgown when she turned to again face her husband. Her chest was laid bare, breasts engorged by a first, and now a second pregnancy. Though her eyes were glazed, he was struck by how flushed her skin was. He had a thought then.

“Jude, hold her to your chest.” He said, holding the bundle out to her.

Jude shook her head warily, but accepted the baby. “She won’t feed, Cardan, we tried.”

“No, just hold her, against your skin. I think you’re right, she’s cold.”

Jude’s expression didn’t change, but she held their tiny daughter to her skin, again nestling into her husband’s chest for warmth. To her surprise, the newborn gave a barely audible gasp, and turned to press her face into her mother’s chest. She couldn’t have weighed more than four pounds, but she writhed in her swaddling to position herself flush against the warmth. Delicately, experimentally, Cardan brushed his finger again over her cheek, and she latched on and sucked.

Now, Jude gasped. Cardan withdrew his finger as she moved to hold the child to her breast, and sobbed anew when the infant latched on and sucked. The force of it shook Cardan as he held her, and he began rocking the both of them back and forth to soothe them. With the motion, the babe finally opened her eyes, gazing up at her parents as the darkness of night began to fall outside the chamber’s windows. Her eyes were what caused Cardan to tear up, as he held his wife and child- his family- close to him. They were a cool purple, flecked with the gold of her mother’s own. 

“Oh, gods above!” he exclaimed with relief, as he beheld her, as if for the first time again. 

“They’re beautiful… like little irises in the morning dew.” Jude murmured, as she extended a finger to the little girl’s hand. She gripped it, weakly, but she held. “She’s a fighter, Cardan.” She said, facing him as her voice broke. 

Likely alerted by Cardan’s exclamation, the chamber doors burst open to reveal the surgeon and doctors, clearly prepared for the worst. Instead, Cardan gave them all a deliriously happy and hopeful grin and declared, “She is awake and feeding.” A collective sigh of relief chorused, and then the surgeon announced, “Night has fallen, Your Majesties. The day has passed. The Princess is likely to live.” 

Jude looked up, summoning all the queenliness she could while exhausted, naked, and covered in her own blood, and addressed them. “The Princess shall be called Iris Greenbriar, from this day forth. And… we shall appoint a staff of doctors to her nursery. The Princess - Iris- will live.”

The staff swept into a low bow, to address the newest member of the royal family. Cardan followed up Jude’s declaration with his own more reverent, prayer of one: “Long Live the Princess Iris.”

The guests all strongly chorused his declaration back, as irises, flecked with a shimmering gold, began to sprout at the floor. The princess in question unlatched from her mother’s breast long enough to give gurgle of approval. 

“Now,” Cardan continued, “Wake Rhode and bring him to the sitting room. He has a sister to meet.”


End file.
